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Oct 27 2013

Sticky Honey BBQ Sauce

Find the recipe card at the end of the post. Make sure to read the content as it contains chef tips, substitution options, and answers to FAQs to help you succeed the first time around!

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Some days, you just want a sweet BBQ sauce that you are completely fine with being all over your fingers, lips, chin, cheeks… you get the picture!

HoneyBBQSauce

I’m a sauce girl through and through. I love to dip stuff in sauces, albeit ranch, Italian gravy, marinara, BBQ Bacon Sauce (god, that stuff is truly amazing!), pizza sauce, Alfredo, and so forth.  So when Mr. Fantabulous asked me one day to make honey BBQ wings, I immediately knew what sauce I wanted.

As I made this sauce, I think I ate about 2 cups worth of tasting, adjusting, and re-tasting. By the time it was done, I was stuffed! LOL It has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy with that hint of hotness.  The longer it cooks, the thicker it gets. Plus, as it cools, it thickens.

But the flavor is just incredible!  I’ve used this on baked chicken breasts where it gets all thick and sticky on the chicken, as a wing sauce, and even as a pizza sauce.

HoneyBBQSauce2

Now, you can make a few jars of this, BUT it has to be kept in the fridge. You can jar this, but you need to use the water bath method on this.  See the notes in the recipe on how to do it.

HoneyBBQSauce3

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Sticky Honey BBQ Sauce

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4.8 from 12 reviews

Some days, you want a sweet BBQ sauce that you are completely fine with being all over your fingers, lips, chin, cheeks… you get the picture!

  • Author: The Kitchen Whisperer
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 1.5-2 pints (1/3 cup each)
  • Category: bbq sauce, marinade, condiments, swet sauce, tangy bbq sauce
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: bbq sauce, marinade, condiments, swet sauce, tangy bbq sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 3/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or Tabasco sauce)

Instructions

  1. Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
  2. Whisk to combine.
  3. Bring to a low boil and reduce to a simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes for a thin sauce, 1 hour for a thicker sauce.
  4. Store in the fridge.

Notes

To can this you need the following:

Water Bath Canner
Canning Set
Pint Jars with lids and rings
1. PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2. LADLE hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
3. PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

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39 responses

  1. Viola Shields
    September 2, 2020

    When water bathe canning, how much does this recipe make? 1 pint, 2 pints? Please advise

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      September 2, 2020

      Close to 2 pints.

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  2. Judy McDaniel
    July 4, 2020

    Made this today July 4, 2020. It came out great. Used it on my ribs. Plan to use it on chicken next. Used just a sprinkling of chili powder as I don’t like it too spicy. Glad I found this recipe.

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      July 8, 2020

      So happy you loved it Judy! I made it as well for the 4th! Thank you so much for the kind words!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  3. Sue
    May 5, 2019

    Yes, I made this. I added some hot sauce to it . we like our sweet and hot. Came out perfect

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      May 5, 2019

      Oh I like the way you think! I love that sweet heat type vibe!

      Thank you so much!!! So happy you loved it! If you haven’t done so already, make sure to Subscribe to my newsletter that way you can receive more delicious recipes and tips!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  4. Marcia Stark
    August 26, 2017

    This sauce is great; I added some spicy mustard and used Trader Joe’s White Modena Vinegar instead of white vinegar (because that’s all I had); came out fantastic. I made a double batch so I used about 1/4 cup of spicy mustard.

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      August 29, 2017

      Hi Marcia!

      Yeah! I’m so happy you loved it as much as I do. Oh great addition of the spicy mustard; yum!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  5. afiq
    May 22, 2017

    i cant find molasses in my country. only have blackstrap molasses. can i use that one or change with sugar or brown sugar maybe corn syrup

    Reply
  6. Jasmine Wright
    February 22, 2017

    My son is not a big meat person. He’ll do veggies and starches but typically refuses anything that isn’t chicken nuggets. I put this sauce on some wings tonight and I got him to eat 4!!!

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      February 28, 2017

      WOO HOO! Score one for us! 🙂 That’s awesome and I’m thrilled he loved these! Thank you so much!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  7. Kevin
    July 13, 2016

    I want to put in jars and give as gifts. Why a water bath method? Isn’t there enough acid (ketchup/Vinegar)in this. When putting finished “hot” sauce in “hot” sterilized jars, the jars seal while cooling down. Just looking for input.

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      July 13, 2016

      Hi Kevin,

      So I did exactly what you asked years ago thinking “hot liquid” in hot sterilized jars and it’s OK to can. Unfortunately I found out the hard way that doesn’t work. See when you use the water bath method you’re actually taking hot liquid, in a hot jar and submerging it in boiling water. What that does is actually create a vacuum seal around the jar thus preventing it from turning and becoming contaminated. By boiling it you’re removing all air in the jar ensuring you have an air-tight seal.

      Trust me on this, don’t skip the canning method if you want to preserve this.

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
  8. Dast
    December 21, 2015

    I loved this sauce and wanted to make a batch to give out as gifts as well as keep plenty for myself but was curious on how long this will last both canned and once opened? I have not really ever canned anything so have no baseline to go off of and it normally doesn’t last long enough around my house to test out how long it is good for. I’m sure I will get asked when I hand it out so wanted to see if there were any baselines to go by?

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      December 21, 2015

      Hi Dast!

      I’m thrilled you love this stuff – I do too!

      When you can this you can go with the Water Bath method. 16 ounce jars will take about 20 minutes in the water bath. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

      Canned should last at least a year unopened. Opened in the fridge I would say a couple of months.

      Best Kitchen Wishes and Merry Christmas!

      Reply
  9. Kurt
    October 23, 2015

    I tripled the batch and have it going now. I added some fresh habanero peppers seeds and all (5 of them). Also am using apple cider vinegar but everything else is to the recipe. I’m gonna be using it on chicken wings for a card club tomorrow night (making it a day early). So far it smells awesome. Hoping for sweet heat. Waiting for it to get thick. Debating on corn starch or a viagra for it to harden up. Kidding. This smells and so far tastes amazing. Thicken up and we have a winner.

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      October 24, 2015

      OMG Kurt you made me belly laugh so hard! LOL It will thicken up; it’ll take a little while longer due to how much you made. Just give it patience grasshopper and you’ll see.

      Let me know what you think!

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
      1. Kurt
        June 25, 2016

        Didn’t even know you replied. Yes, it did thicken up. It was a hit on my wings and everyone loved it. I’ve made it several times since. It’s great on everything I have used it on. I like the sticky sauces better as it makes for a great glaze too. I recently smoked a 14 pound brisket and some of it I pulled using this sauce to make pulled brisket BBQ. The only negative about this sauce is it’s so fricken good it forces me to make more stuff to put it on and I’m damn near ready for a weight watchers meeting or signing up for the biggest loser. At any rate, thanks for providing your recipe, it’s a keeper.

        Reply
        1. TKWAdmin
          June 26, 2016

          HAHAHA Kurt you so made my day! If you lived closer to me we could go work out together…and come back to eat some killer pulled brisket BBQ 🙂 Have you tried the bacon bbq sauce yet on my site? Seriously, it should be illegal!

          Best Kitchen Wishes!

          Reply
          1. Kurt
            July 7, 2016

            No. I haven’t seen it yet. But as soon as I read bacon, it became mandatory. ????
            I’ll check it out.

            Reply
            1. TKWAdmin
              July 7, 2016

              Oh Kurt you don’t understand my love of bacon. I have yet to find a dish or recipe where I couldn’t incorporate some form of bacon into it. And by bacon I mean real bacon, not that Canadian “bacon” ham crap *wink*

              Best Kitchen Wishes!

              Reply
  10. Ginny
    June 25, 2015

    Thanx so much for this recipe. Just what I was looking for. If it turns out like I think it will, I’ll be using this bbq sauce on EVERYTHING!!

    Reply
    1. TKWAdmin
      June 25, 2015

      You are most welcome Ginny! I have a ton of sauces on the website. My newest favorite that has been going viral is my Maple Chipotle BBQ Sauce. All sauces are here: https://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/category/recipes/sauces-toppings/

      Best Kitchen Wishes!

      Reply
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